Availability:
Super Dimension Fortess Macross was licenced by ADV Films in 2004, and can be found at most video entertainment stores, or online.

Overveiw

An alien ship crash lands in the year 1999, forcing the world to have a major reality check and unite.

Ten years later, the rebuilt ship, renamed the Macross, is about to take off on it’s maiden voyage when an unknown booby trap inadvertently starts an a war with a race of giants, the Zentradi. Roped into combat with the aliens, the crew’s inexperience with the technology of the Macross strands it on the outer edge of the solar system, along with some 56,000 civilians. As the Macross begins a year long voyage back to Earth, can it defeat the Zentradi before it can return home?

Originally conceived as a parody of mecha anime, (Mobile Suit Gundam, in particular), Super Dimension Fortress Macross, described by creator Shoji Kawamori as a “a small love triangle against the backdrop of great battles,” became Japan’s first sleeper MEGA hit of the early 80’s.

A major influence on the industry itself, Macross changed the way anime is marketed, promoted and distributed on both sides of the Atlantic. (Macross was adapted into the popular gateway seriesRobotech).

A Space Opera with a mash-up of romance, pop music, transforming jets and tense drama, The original Macross had a cross Demographic appeal that appealed to many. Much like the earlier mentioned Mobile Suit Gundam, Macross is considered a staple to anime and the otaku subculture.

A well written series, Macross explores the concept of culture and it’s effect on society, the consequences of war and effect on the human condition, cooperation between enemies, tolerance, and most notably, love, romance and its influence on interpersonal relationships, which form the backbone of the final arc of the series.

This arc, which is my favorite part of the series, time skips two years after the war, where unlike many similar themed series much is given to the aftermath of the war. The climax of the Human-Zentradi war delivers some major twists that heap massive consequences for both races.
For those who are left alive, the war may have ended, but the struggle to live an a radically changed society has just begun. Some characters understand the complexity of their situation enough that they decide to work to ensure a future for both races. However, there are a few who can’t separate themselves from the past, and their actions will put the Humans and the Zentradi back into the cross-hairs. This part of the series is anti-climatic compared to grand finle of the war a few episodes earlier, but several plot lines are neatly tied up and it allows Macross to properly finish with a compelling finale.

Macross is not a show to be slept on. With an infamous love triangle, transforming mecha and lovely pop music, Macross fuses an anit-war message with an imaginative aestetic that few shows (even in it’s own franchise) have yet to top.